“I’m tired and need to sleep. I’m cool. I’ll come by when I wake up.”
There was a pause. I could feel her wanting to argue, but she knew better. I’d been on my own for a long time, and I knew how to handle my business. I didn’t need any speeches.
“Fine,” she said finally. “But you’re coming by for dinner. And don’t even think about canceling.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And Vinny? I’m glad you’re safe. I love you.”
“Love you too, Ma.”
I hung up and looked at Chance. He always had jokes when she called me Vinny, so I was waiting for it, but surprisingly, he didn’t have any jokes.
“I’m glad you straight, nigga. I know I gave you shit, but you my nigga, and we gotta handle this. We got a lot of living left to do. You weren’t there, but you could’ve been, and I hate to think that’s what she wanted.”
I nodded at his sentimental ass but appreciated it.
“I know, but I need about four hours of sleep before I deal with anything else.”
“What about the detectives?”
“They can wait.”
The media had already gotten wind of what happened, but luckily, I paid for counter-posting to confuse people. No one knew the truth of what went down, and those who did would soon be receiving an NDA. The last thing I needed was Cassie getting more attention from this mess. I knew this was what she wanted to forever have her name attached to mine, but I didn’t rock that way. No one was going to get clout off me.
Chance pulled up to my second home and cut the engine. “You need me to come in?”
“Nah, I’m good. I’ll hit you later.”
“A’ight. Get some rest. And don’t do nothing stupid with that firefighter until you handle your ex-assistant situation first.”
I got out of the car. “One, mind your fucking business, nigga. But aye, ‘preciate you sharing your feelings nigga. Love you, bro.”
“Get the fuck on, ugly,” he laughed, causing me to laugh. We shared a dap before he left.
I entered my house, dropping my bag on the ground. The lemon and cinnamon hit me when I walked in, letting me know that Dorie had been by to clean up. It wasn’t much to clean because if it wasn’t practice or a game, I wasn’t home much. Occasionally, I played video games, but that was just some fan shit I did while streaming live on Twitch.
I hit the lock code on my security panel, and the house turned into something that rivaled the Bat Cave. Curtains drew closed, doors and windows locked, and white noise played through the house. I wanted to be mad about the situation, but life was short, and I was blessed. God had been watching over and protecting me for years. I was going to handle this Cassie shit legally. Move on—the end.
I headed upstairs, took a long shower, moisturized, brushed my teeth, and climbed into bed. I should’ve been out within minutes, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Lieutenant Grant.
Angel.
That’s what she looked like standing in front of that burning house, smoke swirling around her like wings, brown skin glowing in the firelight—my angel in uniform. The name stuck in my head, felt right on my tongue even though I hadn’t said it out loud yet. What the fuck was going on?
#
Ten hours later, I woke up to my phone buzzing nonstop.
My sister Omni had sent increasingly aggressive texts:
Omni:WAKE UP
Omni:Also, there’s a video of you and that firefighter. Do I need to beat her ass or was there a love connection goingzown?
I texted her back, but not before rolling my eyes. Because what the fuck waszown.
Me:Nosy ass, nothing wentzown. (screw face emoji) And I’m on my way.
